I have a 7-year-old getting ready to go into 2nd grade. I'm trying to get him excited about reading, but he looks at it as a chore. He's actually a very good reader and is already reading at a 2nd + grade level. Any suggestions on what chapter books would be good for him? He likes Magic Tree House, but is getting a little tired of them. Not interested in Junie B. Jones either.
Take him to Half Priced Books. =) They usually have a wonderful childrens section. Let him pick out ANY 2 books he wants. Tell him that when he is finished reading then he can come back and do it again. You can find books for a $1 in their clearence section. We make an event of it, lunch and HPB! If you make reading a chore it will BE a chore, make it something fun to look forward to. =)
I teach 2nd grade, and have some suggestions for books that may get him excited. Check out these fiction series: Bailey School Kids, Cam Jansen, Jigsaw Jones, and Geronimo Stilton. Some of these books are at the beginning of 3rd grade level, but I think he'll enjoy them.
Is he interested in non-fiction? Sometimes that really gets kids into reading. The Magic School Bus series has excellent non-fiction stories that are fun to read and full of information.
Another suggestion for book lists is to visit the scholastic books website at www.scholastic.com. They have a ton of resources for parents. Good luck in 2nd grade!
T.
We are reading the Shredderman series right now and my son is loving it. He is the same age, loves to read chapter books. Honestly - I am liking it too.
http://www.amazon.com/Shredderman-Identity-Wendelin-Van-D...
I guess according to Amazon it is for 9 year old but Kyle doesn't want our reading time to end right now..
what other subjects is he interested in (e.g., astronomy, history, sports, etc.)? You could try steering him to the nonfiction section of the library and helping him find age-appropriate nonfiction books (my 6.5YO twin girls like the Eyewitness books). The Magic School Bus chapter books are also a fun read for kids who like science. Is he participating in your local library's summer reading program? And of course librarians are an excellent resource for helping you and your son find age-appropriate books to fit his interests.
My son is the same age and we have been reading the Knights of the Kitchen Table (Time Warp Trio) series - they are similar to the Magic Treehouse series, they travel in time, but are a little more boy oriented in their adventures. He also read both of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books - a little more advanced age stories (more like 3-4rd grade+) but he liked the pictures and everyone at school was reading them this summer and then having a book club meeting to discuss in the fall. A book we just picked up a week ago was from the Disney's Pirates of the Carribean - there is a series of the books about Jack Sparrow as a teenager/young adult. My son hasn't seen the movies (too violent/scary for him) but really enjoyed the book and wants to read more of them, but the library was all out when we went back. My son also likes Judy Moody books - kind of Junie B Jones, just a little older. She's into good causes (recycling, the environment) so I feel good about them. Hope this helps!
Nicole,
I recommend going to the library. My daughter will be in 2nd grade in the fall and I check out anything that interests her. Yes, I'd prefer that she read chapter books, but if she finds a picture book that looks good; we get it. Also, I'd encourage Dad to get involved too. My husband has been getting my daughter into the Star Wars chapter books and she loves them. He reads them to her because they are still a bit beyond her level, but it is still building her interest in reading. We also just found some early readers by Bill Cosby (Little Bill series) that she likes. We also checked out a Kim Possible chapter book.
Good luck!
my 7 year old will also be entering 2nd grade. He loves Goosebumps...kid friendly scary books.... He also loves rocks and minerals and Yu Gi Oh, so we get books along those lines. Barnes and Noble has a great kids section and the books are seperated into reading levels so it's easy to see what thier selection is as far as topics for ther age/level. The library is also a great place to "test" books out too. As long as you stick with his interests, you should be great (i have seen books about rockets, dinosaurs, trucks, firefighting, etc...)
Good luck and happy reading!
Check out the "Secrets of Droon" series, mine loved them!
may be capitan underpants or rugrats
